Comanche
|gender = Male |DOD = August 29, 2017 |affiliation = Rivals (formerly) Stokes Crime Family |tv series = Luke Cage (10 episodes) |actor = Thomas Q. Jones |status = Deceased}} Darius Jones, also known as Comanche, was a member of the Rivals who became a fellow prisoner of Carl Lucas during his time serving at Seagate Prison, helping Albert Rackham to organize their illegal prison fights. Upon being released from Seagate, Comanche was recruited by his former cellmate, Shades, to work for Black Mariah. However, Comanche was also working as an informant for Tom Ridenhour, as he desperately attempted to keep all of his secrets from Shades. However, when Shades uncovered the truth, Comanche killed Ridenhour before Comanche was then also killed by Shades. Biography Early Life Meeting Hernan Alvarez As a young man growing up in New York City, Jones met and became friends with Hernan Alvarez, as Jones had protected Alvarez from bullies who teased him for his inability to speak English, making Alvarez loyal onto Jones as a result.Luke Cage: 2.08: If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right Once Jones and Alverez stole hotdogs at Coney Island, leading to Jones' mother beating him as his punishment for him stealing, despite the fact that it had been Alverez's idea.Luke Cage: 2.07: On and On While they were in Times Square, Alverez had stolen some sunglasses while Jones tackled the security guard in order to help him to escape. Alverez then wore the sunglasses for a year until they broke, gaining the nickname of Shades as a result. Time in Seagate Locked up with Shades and Romeo]] Eventually, Comanche and Shades founded a group they called the Rivals, alongside fellow criminal Romeo, working throughout New York City until Romeo had lost his life and Comanche and Shades were sent to Seagate Penitentiary. During his time locked up in Seagate, Comanche had allied himself with Shades, who had built up a working relationship with one of the guards, Albert Rackham, who was organizing illegal prison fights for his own profit and needed Comanche and Shades to recruit potential fighters for him by testing their ability to fight under pressure.Luke Cage: 1.04: Step in the Arena Threatening Carl Lucas ]] When Carl Lucas arrived at Seagate Penitentiary, Rackham viewed him as a potential candidate for their fighting matches. As Comanche commented on how Lucas was a cop and how rare it was that a cop gets sent to prison, Shades questioned what Lucas might have done to have earned his prison time as Rackham only speculated he had annoyed someone very badly and been sent to rot inside prison. Comanche questioned what Rackham wanted to happen, to which Rackham told them to see if Lucas would break under pressure. ]] Rackham sent Shades and Comanche to test Lucas' strength by attacking him in the middle of the night with knives. While Comanche covered Lucas' face with a bag, Shades hit him repeatedly in the chest until Lucas was able to recover his senses and threw Shades against a wall, at which point Comanche drew his knife and slashed at Lucas' arm. While Lucas bashed Shades repeatedly with his cell door, he was able to disarm Comanche and threw both his attackers out of his room before allowing himself to be arrested by the prison guards and put into solitary confinement for some time. Despite Comanche and Shades being clearly seen to have attacked their fellow prisoner, they faced no consequences for the attack, as Rackham, who had been watching the whole time, declared that he found himself a gladiator in Lucas. Rackham attempted to recruit Lucas while he was in solitary, only for Lucas to refuse. When Lucas was finally freed from solitary, Comanche was outside in the prison yard speaking to other inmates, unaware that Lucas had attempted to assault him with a dumbbell before Squabbles stepped in and had then stopped Lucas from making such a dangerous mistake. Since Lucas had declined their offer to become the fighter for them, Rackham gave him an alternative. He told Comanche to stab another one of the prisoners and had the blame put on Squabbles, which had immediately resulted in all the guards pinning Squabbles down and brutally beating him down while Lucas was forced to watch in horror. Rackham then threatened to tear everything apart if he did not fight for him, hitting Lucas in the gut. Lucas finally agreed and Rackham called the guards to go easy on Squabbles; Lucas, then, demanded that Squabbles be by his side as his own personal trainer. into their arena]] Lucas and Squabbles entered the arena with Comanche, detailing all the rewards for winning, which would include extra rations, alcohol and women. As Lucas made clear that he did not want any of those prizes; Comanche asked what kind of "n***a" he was and Lucas said he did not like being called that word. As they continued to the ring, where a fight was already happening, Lucas noticed some cameras directed at the ring; Lucas asked if the fights were being handed out and Comanche welcomed him to the internet. Comanche then stood by Rackham and watched Lucas proving himself as a fighter. Betraying Carl Lucas cornering Carl Lucas]] When it was discovered that Carl Lucas was attempting to expose the illegal prison fights, Comanche and Shades had been ordered to attack Squabbles in order to learn more about Lucas' plans to bring down the fight ring, resulting in Squabbles' death under the orders of Albert Rackham. While Lucas went into his cell, he was approached by Shades, who complimented Lucas on his fighting in the ring, however, Lucas found his appearance suspicious. Comanche then approached, questioning why Lucas wanted out of the arena. beat down Carl Lucas]] Admitting that they got the information through Squabbles by force, Comanche and Shades told Lucas that they were not happy about Lucas now planned on exposing all Seagate Prison's illegal actions, as Rackham wanted them to deal with the situation. Before Lucas could defend himself, Comanche and Shades then beat him up with steel weapons until he was severely injured, which resulted Lucas being aided by Noah Burstein to save his life by experimenting on Lucas' fatally wounded body, resulting in a massive explosion that killed Rackham, while Lucas had also seemingly vanished. Return to Crime Release from Prison ]] During his release from Seagate Penitentiary, Comanche was contacted by Tom Ridenhour, who offered to clear his record under the condition that he would become Ridenhour's informant for Mariah Dillard's operation. Having to contact Shades after his released from Seagate, Comanche went to personally meet with his friend just outside of where the pair embraced, happy to be reunited after so many years. ]] Once Shades had reminded Comanche of their Rivals greeting, Comanche noted that they did not have any rivals. Comanche was then given the keys to a car which was parked directly outside of Graham Court and provided him with employment at Harlem's Paradise, where he would begin working as security for Dillard. With his friend set up with work upon gaining his freedom, Comanche and Shades then visited Dillard and had continued letting Shades and Dillard to focus on their relationship while still making money away from working in the crime business.Luke Cage: 2.01: Soul Brother #1 Working for Black Mariah and Mariah Dillard]] Working as Mariah Dillard's bodyguard alongside with Shades, Comanche went to Ginny's Supper Club where they had a meeting with Raymond "Piranha" Jones who suggested that they invest their money into plastics. As they discuss about Mark Higgins and his own company, Atreus Plastics, Comanche sat near from them while Jones noted that their best move was to use both Dillard and Shades' criminal techniques to attempt to persuade Higgins to give up his company to them. Comanche watched on awkwardly during Shades and Dillard's sexual flirting as they then continued speaking with Jones about his ideas. ]] During the evening, Hamilton and Comanche were watching a performance by Joi, before Dillard would asked for the deal for their weapons trading. While another song plays, Comanche listened to Hamilton about what he was reading while imprisoned at Seagate Penitentiary. Having knowledge to reading , both Hamilton and Comanche shared a laugh before taking drinks. Comanche was then informed of why Hamilton quickly came to Harlem, noting that it was obvious that the streets might be complicated but not rocket science. at the club]] Hamilton then told Comanche to never underestimate a man's stature quickly while their in a relationship with someone older. While Hamilton was having another drink, Shades called Hamilton up for a meeting with Dillard. Comanche watched along the group that followed Shades and began to operate as a bodyguard while Dillard involves herself into a meeting with Arturo Rey III and Nigel Garrison. When the meeting was interrupted by the arrival of Luke Cage, Comanche tried to stop his tracks but was knocked out with a slap on the forehead before Cage had calmly walked up the stairs. is still alive]] While back at Harlem's Paradise, Comanche waited for Rey III to make their deal, only to witnessed Luke Cage burst into Dillard's office, wearing a recently burned hoodie. As Comanche drew his gun at Cage, he calmly walked over to Dillard and presented her with a fired Judas Bullet, noting that it had bounced right off him. Noting that no bullet could kill him, Cage warned Dillard that if she mentioned Claire Temple's name again, he would kill her and happily go to jail. Comanche watched Cage's warning to Dillard before walking out, which had left Dillard completely enraged. Assassination of Arturo Rey III killing Arturo Rey III]] Comanche accompanied Shades to collect money from Arturo Rey III at Rey's store, as per a previous deal. Rey refused to give Shades the money, blaming him and Dillard for his recent arrest. When Rey personally insulted Dillard, Shades shot and killed him, with Comanche quickly killing Rey's bodyguards. The two then retrieved the store's security tapes before escaping the crime scene.Luke Cage 2.02: Straighten It Out Updating Black Mariah Comanche and Shades returned to Dillard's Brownstone. Shades confessed that he'd killed Rey without collecting the money, to her fury, despite Comanche backing up Shades' claims that Rey had been insulting her and the organization. When Comanche advised her to sell the Jean-Michel Basquiat painting in her office at Harlem's Paradise, Dillard ordered him to leave her house, to which he complied. Arrival of Tilda Johnson 's arrival]] When Tilda Johnson arrived at Harlem's Paradise to speak with her mother, Comanche stopped and questioned her. Dillard instructed Comanche to let her into their private booth and dismissed both he and Shades so she could speak with her daughter in private. Downstairs, Comanche and Shades sat at the bar, with Shades constantly looking up at Dillard and Johnson as they spoke. Noticing his friend's discomfort, Comanche leaned over and joked that Johnson had just taken Shades' spot next to Dillard. Shades ignored him, continuing to watch the two. War for Harlem Luke Cage's Beatdown beat Luke Cage]] As Dillard, Shades, and Piranha Jones celebrated the successful merger of Atreus Plastics with Glenn Industries, Comanche interrupted them, to Dillard's great annoyance. He turned on the television, insisting that they needed to see what was on. The four of them watched the video of Bushmaster attacking and beating Luke Cage. While Comanche and Dillard were delighted by the video, Shades was troubled by the fact that Bushmaster could become a threat to them in the future. Later, Shades met with Dillard to talk about the video and this new possible threat, taking Comanche with him. She refused to let Comanche be present in the meeting with them, threatening him for busting into her office without permission; Comanche merely smirked at her threats. Though Shades stood up for Comanche, Dillard did not yield, and Shades told him to leave.Luke Cage: 2.04: I Get Physical Meeting with Tom Ridenhour On the night Bushmaster visited Harlem's Paradise, Tom Ridenhour contacted Comanche and demanded a meeting. Lying to Ray Ray that his mother had called, Comanche left the club and met with Ridenhour. Ridenhour pushed him for information on Dillard, but Comanche told him that he was unable to give him much, as he was worried that Shades would discover that he was an informant. Preparing for an Ambush ]] Following the ambush during Piranha Jones' party, Shades returned to Harlem's Paradise and ordered all his men to prepare for another attack, telling Sugar to guard the backdoor and shoot anybody who came close. While Shades was still contemplating how to handle the situation, he was joined by Comanche who compared the situation to the . Shades demanded to know where Comanche had been, explaining that Bushmaster had murdered Ray Ray, as well as Cockroach Hamilton and Mark Higgins, and placed their heads on top of spikes inside the Shirley Chisholm Complex. Comanche noted how Bushmaster was putting Mariah Dillard on high alert, insisting that Shades should make decisions for himself as Dillard's actions were putting them all in danger. Although Shades still tried to put his faith into Dillard, Comanche insisted that this was not a plan they could all follow, advising him that they should cut her out of the business while she was being questioned by the New York City Police Department. When Shades refused to betray her, Comanche questioned what advice Shades would have given himself, noting that he was becoming far too emotionally attached to make rational decisions. Shades accepted that this was the truth. Going down into the basement, Shades told Comanche how he had believed that the Stylers had targeted Piranha, as he had access to all of Dillard's money. He expressed his desire to launch a quiet ambush, consisting of only the two of them. He revealed that he had kept a hidden stockpile of the Hammer Industries weapons that they had sold, including a Josh. Having armed themselves, Shades and Comanche then departed from the Paradise together in order to track down Bushmaster's men.Luke Cage: 2.06: The Basement Confessions with Shades waiting for the Stylers]] Knowing that Luke Cage had escaped with Piranha Jones, Shades realized that the Stylers would be continuing to search throughout New York City in order to capture Jones and force him to hand over the money. He and Comanche broke into Pop’s Barber Shop, where he assumed the Stylers would search for Jones. Once it was clear that the barber shop was empty, Comanche and Shades turned off the lights to avoid attracting unwanted attention. The two drew up a pair of chairs and sat facing opposite each other, awaiting Bushmaster’s arrival. They talked as they waited, Comanche questioning why Shades went to such lengths for Mariah Dillard. Shades explained his loyalty to her, noting that she had “ice in her veins.” ]] Comanche, understanding the gravity of the situation and knowing either of them might die, reminded Shades of the relationship they’d had in Seagate, and confessed that he still had feelings for him. Though Shades dismissed the relationship as one born out of loneliness and desperation, he assured Comanche that he would still die for him. Comanche then told Shades that they were wasting their time, and they still had to find Luke Cage. Hunt for Piranha Comanche gathered with the rest of Dillard's men in her office as she demanded to know where Jones was. She then revealed that she knew one of them was an informant, having spoken to Tom Ridenhour and learning that he knew the details of Tone's murder. Comanche reacted nervously, though he tried to contain his fear. He watched as Dillard stabbed one of her henchman's hands and furiously ordered them to leave and hunt down Jones. Lunch with Shades have lunch together]] Comanche and Shades later met for lunch in Harlem. Comanche continued to insist that Shades should have more power within the organization, noting that Dillard constantly disrespected him. He reminded Shades that Dillard was only loyal to family, and that Shades was not her family. When Shades questioned him about the snitch, Comanche blamed Sugar, noting that fatherhood had made him soft. As Shades began to leave after receiving a text that Bushmaster had killed Piranha Jones, Comanche got a text from Ridenhour, insisting on another meeting. He reacted with fear, which Shades noticed; Shades asked him if he was okay, and Comanche assured that he was.Luke Cage: 2.07: On and On Murdered by a Brother ]] At his meeting with Tom Ridenhour later that night, Comanche was visibly afraid, as he knew that Shades suspected something was up. As Ridenhour tried to reassure him that he could protect him, Shades appeared, having followed Comanche to the meeting. Comanche immediately pulled his gun on Ridenhour, concocting a lie that he'd questioned Sugar and found his contact. and bleeds out]] Ridenhour informed Shades that he could arrange an immunity deal for him if he testified in court against Mariah Dillard. When Shades didn't respond, Comanche shot Ridenhour in the chest, killing him nearly instantly. Shades calmly began to rationalize the situation, concocting a story about how Ridenhour had been a corrupt cop who had tried to enlist Comanche as a snitch. Comanche agreed, relieved that Shades seemingly believed him. Shades, however, then shot Comanche in the stomach with Ridenhour's gun, revealing that he knew that Comanche had been the informant. ]] As Comanche lay bleeding out, he told Shades that he had been planning to get them both out of the criminal life; Shades replied that he did not want out. Shades then confessed that he loved Comanche, and that he had been blinded by his love. He shot Comanche again in the chest, finally killing him. Legacy Shades' Regret Shades was haunted by Comanche's death, and rapidly began losing faith in Mariah Dillard. He was horrified by her decision to massacre the patrons of Gwen's, and was unable to pull the trigger on Ingrid Mackintosh due to the memory of killing Comanche. Luke Cage: 2.10: The Main Ingredient When Dillard insulted his relationship with Comanche, he attacked her and broke off their relationship for good. He then gave himself up for arrest and offered his testimony to the police.Luke Cage: 2.13: They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) Personality Comanche was a soldier, loyal first and foremost to his best friend Shades. He had a tendency to joke around in serious situations and was unafraid of Mariah Dillard despite her repeated threats to his life. Abilities *'Combatant': Despite not having training in martial arts or fighting techniques, his many years as a criminal and inmate made him a formidable fighter, enough to fight Luke Cage in Seagate Prison, but was ultimately overpowered by him. *'Marksman': Comanche has display some skill in firing weapons with accuracy and precision. After Shades killed Arturo Rey III, Comanche was able to quickly kill his henchmen before they could pull their sidearms. *'Tactician': Comanche studied Machiavelli while he was incarcerated at Seagate Penitentiary. On multiple occasions, Comanche had provided some insight on how Black Mariah and Shades could move through their indecision between the deals with Garrison, Rey, and Cockroach Hamilton, despite his presence often being ignored. Equipment *'Josh': Comanche carried this weapon when he went hunting for Bushmaster with Shades. *'Handgun': Comanche carried his handgun on a day-to-day basis, using it to kill Arturo Rey III's bodyguards and Tom Ridenhour, among others. Facilities *'Seagate Penitentiary': To be added *'Harlem's Paradise': To be added Relationships Family *Father *Janis Jones - Mother Allies *Rivals **Romeo † - Friend *Albert Rackham † *Dontrell "Cockroach" Hamilton † *Raymond "Piranha" Jones † *Andre Jackson/Ray Ray † Enemies *Luke Cage - Former Co-Inmate *Squabbles † - Co-Inmate and Victim *Stokes Crime Family **Mariah Dillard/Black Mariah † **Hernan Alvarez/Shades - Best Friend, Former Co-Inmate, and Former Lover turned Killer *Arturo Rey III † *Tom Ridenhour † - Ally turned Victim Appearances In chronological order: *''Luke Cage'' **''Season One'' ***''Step in the Arena'' (flashback) ***''Moment of Truth'' (flashback) ***''Take It Personal'' (mentioned) **''Season Two'' ***''Soul Brother #1'' ***''Straighten It Out'' ***''I Get Physical'' ***''All Souled Out'' ***''The Basement'' ***''On and On'' ***''If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right'' ***''The Creator'' (mentioned) ***''Can't Front on Me'' (mentioned) ***''They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)'' (mentioned) Trivia *In the comics, Comanche was a member of the Rivals, a Harlem street gang that included Shades, Carl Lucas, and Willis Stryker. He remained the partner in crime of Shades over the year, using an arc and trick arrows designed by Ward Meachum as his signature weapons. References External Links * * Category:Luke Cage (TV series) Characters Category:Humans Category:Males Category:Black Hair Category:Brown Eyes Category:Criminals Category:Rivals Members Category:Seagate Penitentiary Inmates Category:Stokes Crime Family Members Category:Villains Category:Deceased Characters Category:Characters Killed by Shades